Article-handling devices

ABSTRACT

A rotatable, fluted catcher drum to receive cigarettes moving endwise off a cigarette maker which is provided with a movable needle in each flute to impale a cigarette and bring it to rest against a stop so that the cigarettes can be delivered transversely and accurately aligned.

United States Patent lnventor Peter John Salkeld Bromley, England App]. No. 737,455 Filed June 17, 1968 Patented Jan. 12, 1971 Assignee Moins Machine Company Limited London, England a corporation of Great Britain- Priority June 30, 1967 Great Britain No. 30304/67 ARTICLE-HANDLING DEVICES References Cited Primary Examiner-Richard Aegerter Assistant Examiner-W. Scott Carson Att0rney-Craig, Antonelli, Stewart & Hill 6 Claims, 1 Drawing Fig. US. Cl. 198/210 ABSTRACT: A rotatable, fluted catcher drum to receive Int- Cl. B65g 29/00 cigarettes moving endwise off a cigarette maker which is pro- Field of Search 198/20C, vided with a movable needle in each flute to impale a cigarette 23, 24, 25, 31(Al 31, 210, 21 l; 53/ 148 minor; and bring it to rest against a stop so that the cigarettes can be 131/92 minor, 254 minor delivered transversely and accurately aligned.

3 4 6 M? a 10 Q 52:12:12: /k\\ \V/ Q L/j 1 "7 4 .CII :c:2 G J a 5 4 a 7 a I? 3 a PATENTEDJAmmn I I /fi////// ////g PETER JOHN SALKELD T J H 5% \QW WN m l M l v 1 v ARTICLE-HANDLING DEVICES j This invention relates'to'improvements in devices for hairdling rod-like articles such as cigarettes and is particularly,

US. Pat. No. 3,039,589 dated June 19, 1962 discloses apparatus for manipulating cigarettes'in! this way, which ap paratus includes a rotary drum having axially extending flutes around its periphery on to which the cigarettes are delivered axially and from which they are conveyed sideways. The cigarettes are fed one to each flute and are brought to rest against stops in the flutes. One problem is to bring each cigarette to rest in the same position along the drum so that cigarettes in the outflowing stream are'regularly aligned and can be cleanly and efficiently handledby subsequent machinery. Proposals have been made for doing this in, for example British Pat. No. 1,032,413 and US. Pat. No. 3,039,590.

It is an object of the present inventionto provide an improved article-handling apparatus which is useful in manipulating rod-like articles such I as, for example, cigarettes produced by a cigarette-making machine.

According 'toIthe present invention there is provided apparatus for receiving endwise moving rod-like articlesand moving them transversely to their lengths, which comprises an endless conveyor having a plurality of flutesto receive the rotated so that they are received one to each flute. Means (not endwise moving articles and move them sideways to deliver them in a stream, stops to locate the articles along the flutes, and means to control the endwise movement of each article in one of the flutes which includes a member acting to engage the article and to move it up against thestop associated with "avoiding the risk of damage to the cigarette wrapper. The needle can be disengaged from the article by drawing the needle past the stop, conveniently by withdrawing it through the stop. The movement of the needles can be controlled by means of a cam and followers moving with the needles and conveniently the needles can extend more or less centrally through the sto s.

A in embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of.example, with reference to the accompanying drawing which illustrates in plan view part of an apparatus for manipulating cigarettes coming off a continuous rod cigarette-making machine.

Referring to the drawing the apparatus comprises a rotary drum I mounted on a shaft 2 and havingarranged around its periphery at regular intervals a number of flutes 3. In each flute there is positioned a stop 4 which is formed with a transverse bore 5 to accommodate a needle 6 for movement alongthe flute 3. The stops are secured .to an encircling band 7 by screws 8. The needles 6 areca'rried in holders 9 which are mounted for sliding movement in thebody of the drum 1 and which are formed at their ends 10 to act as cam followers running on an inclined rotatably mounted disc cam II as the drum 1 rotates. The cam follower portions 10 of the needle holder 9 are urged into engagement with the disc cam II by means of compression springs 12.

wise stream in the direction of the arrow A and the drum is shown) are provided to remove the cigarettes C in a continuous neatly aligned stream moving in the direction of the arrow B. As each cigarette C arrives in a flute 3 the needle 6 in that flute projects through its associated stop 4, as the follower is at the high point of the cam 11 and so the cigarette C impales itself on the needle 6 which engages only'the tobacco portion. leavin the wra per undamaged. As the drum 1 rotates the cigare te to the rscharge position the followers descent to the low point of the drum thus retracting the needles 6 through the stop 4 and drawing the cigarette C off the needle to leave it positioned closely up against the stop 4. As the stops '4' are all aligned the cigarettes C come to rest on the drum in good alignment and the outgoing stream of cigarettes is therefore paratus which will separate effectively over a range of speeds without adjustment whereas previous resetting for different speeds.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for receiving axially moving rod-like articles and moving them transversely to theirlength in predetermined proposals have required alignment which comprises an endless conveyor having a plu- .rality of flutes to'receive the articles one to each flute and move them transversely to deliver them in a stream, a stop associated with each flute to locate an article along the flute and means to control the axial movement of the article in each flute, which means includes a member capable of engaging the 'leading end of the article and means to move said member in the direction of arrival of the article in the flute such that the article is drawing against the stop.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said rod-like articles are cigarettes and the member capable of engaging an, article comprises a needle arranged to impale the tobacco filler of a cigarette.

3. Apparatus according to claim- 2 wherein said means to move said member is capable of moving the needle through the plane of the stop in a direction away from the cigarette to disengage the needle from the cigarette.

4. Apparatus according to claim 3 wherein the stop is aper- I tured and the needle is arranged to be withdrawn through the aperture.

' veyor comprises a rotatably mounted drum, the follower means is arranged to project axially from the drum and is spring biased towards said cam means ,and the cam means comprises an elliptical cam track disposed at an oblique angle to the axis of rotation of the drum. 

1. Apparatus for receiving axially moving rod-like articles and moving them transversely to their length in predetermined alignment which comprises an endless conveyor having a plurality of flutes to receive the articles one to each flute and move them transversely to deliver them in a stream, a stop associated with each flute to locate an article along the flute and means to control the axial movement of the article in each flute, which means includes a member capable of engaging the leading end of the article and means to move said member in the direction of arrival of the article in the flute such that the article is drawing against the stop.
 2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said rod-like articles are cigarettes and the member capable of engaging an article comprises a needle arranged to impale the tobacco filler of a cigarette.
 3. Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said means to move said member is capable of moving the needle through the plane of the stop in a direction away from the cigarette to disengage the needle from the cigarette.
 4. Apparatus according to claim 3 wherein the stop is apertured and the needle is arranged to be withdrawn through the aperture.
 5. Apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said means for moving said needle comprises cam and follower means to control the movement of the needle.
 6. Apparatus according to claim 5 wherein said endless conveyor comprises a rotatably mounted drum, the follower means is arranged to project axially from the drum and is spring biased towards said cam means and the cam means comprises an elliptical cam track disposed at an oblique angle to the axis of rotation of the drum. 